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Haitians Overwhelmingly Elect Populist Priest to the Presidency [1]

['Howard W. French', 'Special To The New York Times']

Date: 1990-12-18

But his strong performance in the campaign deeply alarmed many in the nation's traditional power centers, from the Catholic and Protestant churches and the army through to the business class, the nation's elite and its rural landowners.

Although he was among the last of 11 presidential candidates to enter the race, in the space of only a few weeks Father Aristide rose to strong support, steadily campaigning on the themes of justice for victims of the 29-year Duvalier dictatorship, a radical reorganization of the economy to uplift the very poor, and a struggle to root out corruption.

Father Aristide, who has no Government experience, tells his compatriots to look to themselves first to increase their productivity and lift the country out of poverty. He has also called for increasing agricultural production and protecting vital industries from foreign competition. He was trained in the Roman Catholic Salesian order, but in 1988 he was expelled for his intensely political preaching.

Father Aristide has said that he would abandon the priesthood if the Vatican demanded that he do so, once he was elected president. "The most important thing for me is to be a Haitian, not to be a priest," he said in a recent interview. "I am open and free to do what I can do to help my country as a layman tomorrow and as a priest today."

Pope John Paul II has issued an edict barring priests and nuns from holding public office.

The liberation theology movement that Father Aristide supports says priests must help the poor overcome misery and oppression.

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[1] Url: https://www.nytimes.com/1990/12/18/world/haitians-overwhelmingly-elect-populist-priest-to-the-presidency.html

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